


Territorial

by JessicaMDawn



Category: Cursed (2005)
Genre: Bo/Jimmy/Brooke friendship, M/M, Vampires, Werewolves, heightened senses, werewolves changed Bo's life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-01-31
Updated: 2011-02-14
Packaged: 2017-11-26 02:17:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/645453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JessicaMDawn/pseuds/JessicaMDawn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bo has dealt with werewolves before, but now there's a new monster with its sights set on him. All Bo wants is Jimmy, but the new kid in school wants Bo, while Jimmy wants…</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Bo's breath was coming in pants. He could feel the adrenaline still pumping through his veins and felt his hands shaking with it. He couldn't believe how close he'd come to dying just now….how close he'd come to losing everything. And then there was Jimmy….

His eyes snapped from the empty end of the alleyway to the wall to his left. Crouched near the ground was Jimmy, holding his head and making pitiful moaning noises of pain, pretty much stark naked. His jacket from earlier was lying near the mouth of the alley and the shredded remains of his jeans were barely clinging to his hips. The sound of the city finally came back to him and Bo gasped, taking the few steps between him and Jimmy and kneeling down next to him.

"Jimmy?" he asked worriedly. "Jimmy are you alright?" He placed a hand on Jimmy's shoulder and Jimmy let out a whimper. Suddenly, Bo was staring at blank wall. He heard a step to his right and turned. Jimmy was six feet away and facing away from him, still crouching down and holding his head. "Jimmy?"

"I'm sorry," Jimmy breathed out just loud enough for Bo to hear. Then he ran off, his skin darkening and hair overtaking his body, his face and body shifting into something more canine a moment before he vanished into the night.

Bo was left standing alone in the alley trying to figure out how it had all gone wrong.

 

…

…

_Three Weeks Ago_

"So I hear we've got a new classmate transferring in all the way from London, England," Brooke stage whispered the gossip into the air between Jimmy and Bo at the lunch table. "And Sarah said he's the hottest guy she's ever seen."

"So?" Bo asked. He could see this was making Jimmy uncomfortable. Ever since he'd lost his werewolf powers, Jimmy was worried Brooke would find someone better. Her talking about the new hot guy was not exactly helpful. Bo didn't understand either of them. Jimmy was still hot. He hadn't lost any of his good looks. He shouldn't worry and Brooke shouldn't be checking the market every other week and making him worry.

Brooke rolled her eyes. "So," she emphasized like the answer should be obvious. "Maybe you can finally find yourself a man," she suggested slyly.

Bo's eyes widened and then narrowed a bit as he pushed himself up from where he'd been leaning forward to listen. "What?" he gasped. "Brooke. No." He shook his head. She grinned furtively and he shook his head again. "No. No. No way."

Brooke sighed heavily, rolling her eyes again. "Well why the hell not?" she asked, annoyance in her tone. "It's been almost a year since we broke up and you told me you were gay. Why don't you want a boyfriend? The whole school already knows, Bo," she stated plainly.

Bo stared blankly at her. "Thank you, Brooke, for pointing that out. I thought I had at least a _bit_ of cover, but it's nice to know I've failed miserably at being normal."

"I think being normal is overrated," Jimmy chimed in quietly from Brooke's right side. He was eating his fries like the conversation wasn't important. "And besides," he dropped the fry in his fingers and looked up at his tablemates, "who cares if he's handsome? He might have a terrible personality and then where would we be?"

Brooke nodded sagely. "Hmm….yes. Where would we be indeed. Now Jimmy, here," she began with a smile, "So gifted at being a stud and a powerhouse at once, but he never once fights or shows off his muscles." She squeezed Jimmy's upper left arm as if to clarify and Jimmy let out a shaky smile.

"Eheh. Yea," he laughed nervously. "I just don't see the point in fight….," he trailed off, eyes widening.

Bo and Brooke turned – Bo had to turn 180 degrees – to see what exactly Jimmy was looking at. Whoa. A guy had just entered the lunch room. He had blonde hair cut in a business style that looked sexy on him and eyes as blue as a crystal clear summer sky. He wore street clothes just like everyone else, but the aura he carried was like that of a prince. Just staring at him, Bo thought perhaps the guy was actually _glowing_ but dismissed the thought almost immediately. Jimmy sniffed the air and Bo couldn't blame him. The guy had barely entered the room a hundred feet away and Bo already had some alluring, unnameable scent wafting around him.

"Whoa," Brooke breathed out. "I guess that's Scott Edwards."

Bo turned his head to look at her, or perhaps to comment on her lovesick tone of voice, and he caught sight of her face. Oh shit. She had the look she got back when Jimmy owned the wrestling tryouts times about ten on her face. She was severely attracted to him and Bo couldn't really blame her. He was having trouble not falling for the guy on first sight himself. But Jimmy was sitting two feet in front of him and he might not smell like pheromones on steroids, but Bo was pretty attracted either way.

 

…

…

Scott Edwards. He was, in a word, the perfect man. He showed off his brains in every class; even going so far as to show up a teacher when she got a math problem wrong in physics class. He showed off his athleticism in P.E. by single handedly winning the dodgeball game they'd played that day. Bo and Jimmy had been on his team and compared to Scott, they might as well have been twiddling their thumbs and drooling the entire game.

Scott Edwards had a cult following by the end of the day that consisted of every girl in school, and Bo was certain at least half the guys were either in love with him or at least falling over themselves to please him. It was strange because some of those guys Bo had known for years and they had only ever cared about bettering themselves and now they were mooning over the new guy from London with the cute British accent and the hot body.

Jimmy barely had a hold of Brooke as they walked by Scott on their way out of school. Scott was standing just inside the hallway with a gaggle of guys and girls around him, all trying to talk to him at once.

 

…

…

Bo wasn't surprised when Brooke showed up at their morning meeting spot looking sheepish and asked to speak to Jimmy alone. He knew what this meant. Barely a minute after they'd walked away, Jimmy came back and leaned against the wall next to him. Bo didn't say a word. He just waited.

"She dumped me," Jimmy managed at length. Bo let out a quiet breath. Yep. "She wants to go out with Scott Edwards and she said she couldn't flirt with him if she was already in a relationship with me," he choked out.

Bo turned his head to watch Jimmy's actions. His face showed how crushed he was, his eyes practically screaming it. He'd worked so hard to be the man Brooke deserved, the man she wanted, after the curse wore off. He'd worked so hard and she'd dropped him at the first sign of a more alpha male. Bo let out another breath and scooted closer, wrapping his arms around Jimmy's shoulders. Jimmy grabbed a hold of Bo's right arm and held on tight as he tried not to cry.

"Come on," Bo breathed out. "Let's blow off school and go hang out somewhere – Take your mind off all this."

Jimmy nodded into Bo's chest and Bo took a step back. He gently held Jimmy's hand in his own, reveling in the feel of it, and pulled him along towards the parking lot and his new red masarati.

They spent the day at the arcade, Bo's treat, and blew probably fifty dollars on every racing, gun, or other silly game they could find. Bo was surprised to find they'd won a lot of tickets by the end of the day and they spent ten minutes looking at all the prizes before Bo picked a dog whistle – "As sort of a gag joke for what happened to you last year" – and Jimmy got a remote controlled helicopter.

Bo drove Jimmy home after that and walked him to the door. He fiddled with the whistle on the string around his neck as they walked, quiet as the grave. He needed to say something meaningful; something that would top off the day and make everything better.

"Hey, Jimmy," he started quietly.

Jimmy stopped and turned to him, a content smile on his face and the box with his new toy under his arm. "Yea?"

"I just wanna let you know….," Bo tried. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves. "Don't worry about Brooke." Jimmy's smile faltered. It was like he'd forgotten all about what happened and suddenly Bo brought it all back. Bo flinched. "Ever since I met her in middle school, she's always been after the most popular guy she can get her hands on. She's all about status; being popular. She can't see when she's got a real gem on her hands; a guy with personality and class." He took a step closer, now almost in Jimmy's breathing space, and lowered his voice to a mere whisper. "She made the wrong decision….letting you go….." His eyes searched Jimmy's face for a moment before speaking again, his voice even quieter than before. "You're the best thing that she could've wished for…..I just wanted you to know."

For what felt like an eternity, Jimmy just stood there. Then a hesitant smile appeared on his face. "Thanks, Bo," he breathed out, not wanting to break the mood that had descended upon them. His eyes flicked down from Bo's eyes to his lips and Bo suddenly realized how far he'd leaned in.

Clearing his throat, Bo took a step back and drew in a deep breath. "Well, I'd better get going….School tomorrow and all," he excused himself.

Jimmy nodded like he'd just remembered that. "Yea. Yea. School. Right," he agreed. "Thanks for the fun day. See you tomorrow." And he vanished inside his house before Bo had taken even one step towards his own car.

Damn Jimmy was fast when he wanted to be. Werewolf or not.

 

…

…

The next day at school, Bo walked beside Jimmy into school in full defense mode. Brooke wouldn't dare come near them if he had anything to say about it. They saw Scott Edwards standing just outside of his first class surrounded, as was becoming normal, by any student with a class in this hallway first period. They were all crowded around near the lockers while Scott stood in the middle of the hall. Bo scoffed. Scott had them all bunched together while he regaled them with some no doubt brilliant story about how he did something awesomely wonderful at some point in his life.

Bo scanned the crowd and felt his frown deepen. There was Brooke, standing almost directly in front of Scott with her hands up over her heart and a dopey in love look on her face. Bo glanced at Jimmy as they neared the group. Jimmy was looking at the HomeComing banner on the opposite wall but Bo was almost certain that Jimmy knew Brooke was standing in that crowd.

Bo stepped left, away from Jimmy, and ran into Scott, hard, as he passed by him. Scott actually stumbled a step before shooting Bo a nasty glare. "Oh, sorry," Bo apologized sarcastically. "I totally didn't see you there. Guess you're not too noticeable, huh?" he ask derisively, taking a step closer to Scott in an obvious hostile manner.

"Bo," Jimmy let out in a half-sigh. Bo's eyes shot to Jimmy's face so he didn't see how Scott's expression fell into utter shock. Jimmy shook his head. "Remember what happened the last time you picked on someone?"

Jimmy? Yea. Bo remembered getting hoisted up in the air and creamed in the only thing he had any talent for. Bo remembered losing face and coming out as gay and having his heart crushed. Bo remembered werewolves and the full moon and a maze of mirrors and darkness. Yes. Bo remembered the last time he picked on a guy.

Though Jimmy probably just meant the fact that last time he picked on someone he got his ass kicked. Royally.

"Yea," Bo admitted in a rough, quiet voice, looking away from Jimmy's penetrating eyes. "I remember. Sorry."

Jimmy gave him a little smile. "Let's just get to class, alright? He's not worth it and the bell's about to ring anyway."

Bo grinned back at him and they continued down the hall like the whole event had never happened. Scott Edwards watched them until they'd turned the corner before facing his adoring fans once more. They hadn't budged an inch, almost like they were statues or puppets just awaiting his command.

He liked L.A.

His eyes flickered back down the hall before he laid a gentle smile on his face and said, "So, who do I have the pleasure of walking to class with?" Everyone shouted at once.

"Me!"

 

…

...

The next time Bo saw Scott was in the locker room. Bo had just finished taking a shower after a hard practice. Jimmy had stayed to watch practice today. Bo snickered as he pulled his pants on. Jimmy was so funny when he came to practice. Everyone kept asking him to join the team and they all wanted to practice with him because he's the best they've ever seen and Jimmy kept getting nervous and stuttering out excuses. It had been really amusing to watch, but Bo had taken pity on him and called his team to attention. He was still the captain after all.

Bo pulled a blue t-shirt over his head. When his head popped out through the hole he gasped, jumping backwards and knocking into the bench behind him. Strong arms grabbed hold of him, keeping him upright and steady.

"Are you alright, Robert?" Scott asked, his voice sounding like silk, gentle and pleasant.

"What?" Bo asked, taking a step back from Scott and out of his grip. Scott was enchanting when you passed him in the hall, being alone in the locker room was almost heart stopping. Bo forced himself not to look at Scott as he sat down on the bench and began pulling his shoes on.

Scott lowered his arms but otherwise did not move. "They call you 'Bo', right?" he asked. Without waiting for a response he continued with, "Short for Robert."

Bo shrugged and finished tying his first shoe. "So?" he asked the floor. "No one's called me that since I turned six."

Scott leaned against the lockers, crossing his arms easily over his chest. "Robert from Scandinavia. It means bright fame," he informed Bo gently. "You're parents had high hopes for you, and they were right." His voice turned wistful as he said, "You stand out. Your brightness…It could eclipse even the sun."

Bo finished tying his second shoe. "What are you on abo-" Bo trailed off when he looked up and caught sight of Scott's face. His eyes locked with Bo's and Bo forgot how to speak. Bo stood from the bench, all the while keeping his eyes locked with Scott's.

Scott's eyes seemed to glimmer in the false lighting of the room. "Bo," he murmured huskily.

Bo blinked, hard, and shook his head. "Look," he stated simply, once again looking directly into Scott's eyes. He was the captain of the wrestling team. He could stare this guy down; assert his dominance. "I don't know what Brooke told you about me," he started, "but I am not interested in you. Yea. You've got looks and you smell _really_ good…" Bo paused to shake his head again. "But I don't want to go out with you."

"Why not?" Scott asked, sounding put out. He pouted and even that was alluring.

"Hey, Bo."

Bo and Scott both shot their heads to the side to see Jimmy standing by the lockers on the other side of the bench from them. When did he get there? "J-jimmy," Bo gasped out. "How long have you been standing there?"

Jimmy shrugged noncommittally. "About ten seconds." His eyes wavered to the side for a moment, away from the other men in the room, and then snapped back to Bo as quick as a bullet. "You ready to go? Ellie's making spaghetti tonight. Extra meaty sauce." He gave a toothy grin.

Bo blinked. "Oh. Right. Yea." He bent down, grabbing his duffle bag. When he stood up, Bo saw Scott's expression. He looked completely out of his element; like he'd never been snuck up on before and he didn't know how to respond. "Well," Bo said haltingly, calling Scott's attention back to him. Bo nodded. "Glad we had this chat. Sorry I'm not interested. See you tomorrow."

He pat Scott's left shoulder as he stepped over the bench to Jimmy's side. Then he and Jimmy left Scott there in the locker room. They were almost to Jimmy's house before they brought it up.

"So Scott propositioned you in the locker room?" Jimmy asked incredulously.

Bo shrugged, staring at the road ahead. "Sort of, I guess. I mean, he didn't say it, but I got the feeling that's what he was implying."

Jimmy scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief before turning to stare out the window. "Unbelievable," he murmured under his breath. The close quarters of the car allowed Bo to catch it though.

"Hey," he said loudly. Jimmy jumped in his seat and looked at him. Bo glanced sideways at the younger male before looking back at the road. "Listen. I'm not gonna ditch you to become one of those robot, brainless Scott fans, alright?" He glanced at Jimmy and back to the road again. "I'm sticking with you until the very end."

Bo actually took one hand off the steering wheel and ruffled Jimmy's hair playfully to top off his promise. Jimmy yelped in surprise and Bo laughed. That just made Jimmy scowl and Bo thought perhaps Jimmy's scowl was just as alluring and lovable as Scott's pout. When Jimmy's scowl turned into a grateful smile, Bo knew Jimmy would always be better than Scott. No matter what.


	2. Chapter 2

For two weeks after that, Bo was caught between elation and frustration. On the elation side: He'd never had so much alone time with Jimmy. With Brooke all hung up over creepy Scott Edwards, Bo was the one that Jimmy took to the comic store, the arcade, down the strip, on dog walks, to the movies. Bo was the one that Jimmy invited over for the night and the weekend. Ellie spent most of her time at work, so Bo and Jimmy were pretty much left to their own devices on the weekends and afternoons.

On the frustration side: creepy Scott Edwards kept staring at him. He and Jimmy would walk by his gaggle of goons and Bo would feel Scott's eyes following him, trying to lure him into the pack. If they had a class together, Scott kept his eyes on Bo the entire time. At first it just pissed Bo off, but now it was really starting to freak Bo out!

"Look," Bo began, shutting his locker. He turned on his heel to face Scott, who was standing not even a foot behind him. "This has got to stop. I _don't_ like you. And no matter how much you stare at me, that's not going to change."

"Why?" Scott asked, sounding perplexed. "Why don't you like me?"

Bo blinked at him owlishly a few times. "Dude. I don't know. You're not my type I guess? What does it matter? You're freaking me out with the staring thing. Stop it." Bo's type was more hairy and fed under the full moon. Ahem.

"My eyes," Scott breathed out.

It was like subliminal suggestion. Commenting on his eyes made Bo look at them. All at once, Bo began to fell light headed. He wasn't at school between periods anymore. He wasn't anywhere. All that existed was him and those eyes. Those bright blue eyes.

The bell rang and Bo snapped out of whatever that was. He blinked and shook his head slightly. "What?" he asked. "Did you just say something?"

Scott was frowning. "The bell rang," he grumbled.

"Oh. I should get to class then. You should too." Bo turned to leave but Scott grabbed him by the right wrist, halting his progress. "Dude, what the hell?" Bo demanded. "That hurts. Let go."

Scott locked eyes with him again. "I'll get you, Robert. Soon. You'll be mine."

Bo blinked and Scott wasn't there. He looked down at his wrist and winced. It was all red from the tight grip. But how did Scott vanish so fast?

...

...

Jimmy and Bo went to Jimmy's house that Friday afternoon to eat leftover spaghetti (Ellie had made it _yet again_ , this time with huge meatballs on the side) and watch reruns of _Heroes_ on NBC. Jimmy put a lot of sauce and two of the giant meatballs on his plate before sticking it in the microwave. He leaned back against the counter with a sigh and glanced up at the ceiling.

Bo followed his gaze even as he reached for the fork in the spaghetti. He grinned. "Hey." Jimmy looked down at him. "Weren't you the one to put the holes in the ceiling?"

The holes weren't there anymore, but Bo remembered coming to Jimmy's house only a week after the attack and seeing a trail of claw mark holes from the porch to the kitchen and back to the porch. Jimmy grinned, embarrassed.

"Yea," he laughed. He looked up at the pristine ceiling again. "You know there's almost no hint that anything ever happened here anymore?" The microwave beeped and Jimmy pulled out his plate while Bo slipped his in. "No one could ever guess anything strange happened."

Bo scoffed. "Except when they notice you've got a silver cake cutter framed on your wall," he commented wryly.

Jimmy laughed a few times. "True." He swirled a large forkful of spaghetti, the largest Bo had ever seen on a fork, and then popped the whole thing in his mouth at once. Bo's gag reflex nearly kicked in in sympathy for Jimmy's dead reflex.

He laughed nervously. "Man….I don't understand how you can fit all that food in your mouth at one time."

A nonchalant shrug was his only answer since Jimmy was still chewing. A few moments later and the microwave beeped at Bo too. He reached up to open the microwave door and suddenly Jimmy's hand was around his wrist. Bo jumped in shock.

Had he mentioned Jimmy was fast?

"J-jimbo?" he stumbled out. Jimmy's eyes were focused intensely on Bo's right hand. He ran his fingers over Bo's palm and the back of his hand slowly and Bo had to repress the shiver that tried to race up his spine. "Jimmy?" he breathed out.

Jimmy's fingers slipped toward Bo's shirt sleeve, easing the fabric back from Bo's hand. The red mark from earlier had turned into a sickly purple bruise. "Bo, what happened?" Jimmy asked, dark voice full of concern.

"Oh," Bo let out, disappointed. He'd thought- He shook his head, tugging his arm away but Jimmy wouldn't let go. "It's nothing, Jimmy."

"Bo," Jimmy stressed.

Bo sighed and Jimmy released his hand. It instantly felt cold and Bo took to rubbing it lightly as he spoke, trying to warm it back up. "Scott grabbed me earlier today." Jimmy frowned and Bo scowled at him. "We weren't _fighting_ , Jimmy. I told him to stop staring and when I tried to walk away he grabbed my wrist."

"He just _grabbed_ you and he left that bruise?" Jimmy asked incredulously. Bo nodded. "That doesn't make any sense."

"You're telling me," Bo huffed, letting his hands drop away from each other. He finally opened the microwave and pulled out his spaghetti. "I've never met someone with that sort of grip before in my entire life." Jimmy made a contemplative noise and Bo laughed as they walked toward the living room with their foraging. "I get the feeling you're going to start researching random vague monsters again."

Jimmy had researched dozens of mythological creatures since being bitten last year. He'd told Bo "If werewolves exist, then why can't these?" Bo was actually inclined to agree, but he told Jimmy he thought it was all nonsense anyway. Jimmy sat on the couch with his spaghetti in his lap and grabbed the remote. He didn't turn on the T.V. though, just rolled the remote around in his right hand.

"Jimbo?"

"Bo," Jimmy tried, but stopped. He let out a huff of air. "Bo has anything….I don't know…. _weird_ happened to you since last year?"

Bo frowned. "Since the wolf?" He did a fast scan of the past year and then shook his head. "Not really. No. I'm not shifting into a werewolf every month," he tried to joke, but Jimmy didn't seem any happier so he dropped his smile. "Jimmy what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Jimmy said with a shake of his head. "I'm just curious." He turned to face Bo and it was an almost graceful motion. "That night, after Tinsel…Did anything happen to you?" Bo's frown deepened in confusion and Jimmy shook his head. "We didn't end the line until almost midnight, and whether or not w-I want to admit it…you were attacked by a werewolf. So-"

"You want to know if I started to change," Bo said for him. Jimmy gave a pathetic look with a shrug and an uneasy smile. Bo stuck a bite of spaghetti in his mouth and faced the blank T.V. screen. After swallowing he said, "Well….after the paramedics let me go, I drove home. My parents weren't home at the time, some anniversary trip or something…." His eyes roamed over the family photos on the walls near the T.V. "I did start having this really terrible headache at about eleven," he admitted with a shrug. "And my arm hurt around the cut. And I mean a lot, but I figured that was normal. Do you think…," he trailed off momentarily and focused back on Jimmy, "If you and Ellie hadn't killed the other werewolf….do you think I would've become one too?"

Jimmy shrugged uncertainly. "It's always a possibility. Then again, you'd only been scratched for an hour, whereas Ellie and I were infected for almost three days." The T.V. came on and Jimmy tossed the remote onto the arm of the couch. "You're not a werewolf now, so it doesn't really matter anyway."

If Bo didn't know better, he'd say that Jimmy was disappointed that Bo wasn't a werewolf. He grinned. That was one of the things he loved about Jimmy: how he was almost obsessed with anything out of the ordinary. Jimmy had said it himself only a short while ago, he thought being normal was overrated.

Bo watched as Jimmy speared a meatball, his gaze focused on the T.V. as the commercial announced that _Heroes_ was coming on next. Jimmy tried sticking the whole meatball in his mouth at once like he did the spaghetti, but it was too big. He used his fork to slice the meat in half and then wrapped one half in spaghetti noodles before stuffing that in his mouth instead. One of the noodles was longer than the rest and it slapped Jimmy in the chin on its way into his mouth, leaving a smudge of spaghetti sauce in its wake.

Bo laughed at Jimmy's half-startled expression. His grin faded almost immediately though when Jimmy swallowed the food. Bo watched his Adam's apple bob with the action. Jimmy's tongue flicked out to lick the sauce off his chin and Bo felt his mouth go dry. He quickly turned to face the T.V. just as a 'what happened last time' began playing to open the show. He heard more than saw as Jimmy sat his plate on the side table and glanced down at his own food. Bo stuffed a large amount of spaghetti, though nothing like Jimmy's mouthfuls, into his mouth and focused on chewing it. He set his plate on the side table on his side of the couch and leaned back as he swallowed.

The _Heroes_ symbol flashed on screen and that was the last thing Bo saw of the show. Jimmy was leaning over him, blocking out all view of the T.V. "Wh-Jimbo?" Bo gasped. "What? What is it?"

Jimmy shook his head, his eyes searching Bo's face though Bo had no idea what he was searching for. Bo felt himself blush and Jimmy's lips twitched up into an imperceptible smirk. The younger male shook his head again before leaning down and capturing Bo's lips in a kiss. Bo let out a shocked sound, his eyes flying wide. Jimmy was-!

His eyes slid shut and Bo's hand came up to hold Jimmy face as he kissed back. They pulled away long enough to take in a quick gasp of air before crushing their lips together again, and again, and again. Finally Jimmy pulled away and sat back against the couch, his right shoulder pressed up against Bo's, both of them panting.

"Whoa," was all Bo could say, his voice breathless. Jimmy giggled next to him. Bo turned where he sat and locked eyes with Jimmy. "Why-" He stopped, shaking his head. "What brought that on?"

Jimmy shrugged, looking self-conscious. "Well, you wanted to…right?" he asked almost nervously, looking away.

Bo nodded. "But how could you tell?"

Jimmy snorted and lifted his eyes again. "Bo, I've known for awhile." He grinned. "You're giving off so many pheromones that normal humans could practically smell it," he explained.

"Normal?" Bo asked curiously and Jimmy's eyes widened.

"Well- I-," he stuttered. "I can…My senses are a bit better than yours probably are," Jimmy said evasively, shrugging and facing forward.

Well, Jimmy had spent three days as a werewolf before the curse was lifted. It would make sense that he had some lingering traits.

Bo grinned. "Normal is overrated," he stated lowly. He saw Jimmy smile shyly as he turned his head to face Bo again. Bo shook his head lightly. "So…you're gay?" he teased.

Jimmy let out a breath of air that was almost a laugh and tilted his head toward Bo a bit. "I'm at least Bo-sexual, if nothing else," he joked in return.

"That actually sounds like a real term," Bo said with a smile. "Bo-sexual." He laughed. Jimmy leaned over and planted a tiny kiss on Bo's left cheek, ending Bo's laughter. "Wait," Bo began. "What about Brooke?"

At that, Jimmy blushed. "I liked her," he assured Bo. "I really thought I would be with her…at least until graduation….But it's like you said, she only wanted me because she wants an alpha male. When she found someone who better fit that description…she moved on. I'm the beta male to her now. No she-wolf willingly mates with the beta, Bo."

"If you're beta then I'm omega," Bo stated blandly. "And yet you just kissed me. This isn't about stations, Jimmy," he said with a shake of his head.

Jimmy shook his head as if to clear it. "I know that. Sorry. Sometimes I can't help but use wolf references." He squinted his eyes at the back of the couch. "It's almost like I'm wired that way now or something." He shook his head again and locked eyes with Bo. "The point is, in freshmen year I saw you and Brooke dating each other and I thought you two made a great looking couple," he admitted. "It took me until Junior year to even work up the courage to talk to her, and it wasn't until I was cursed by the mark of the beast that I had the balls to flirt with her."

Bo let out a laugh and Jimmy shrugged with a shy smile before continuing.

"Did you know she was on her period during that lunar cycle?" Jimmy asked as if he were asking Bo if he'd noticed it was cloudy today. Bo's eyes shot wide. "I had always thought she was hot, but I think the wolf part of me was attracted to her blood." Jimmy's cheeks were pink. "And then…after we started dating…I realized she was a bit obsessed with status." He frowned. "We had to be at every party, every game. She didn't want to read comics or…watch _Heroes_ with me." He waved a hand at the T.V., where Nathan Petrelli was looking at a painting of an exploding man and talking with an elderly businessman. "Still, she seemed to really like me and I liked her and so I thought it would work out….but I guess it didn't." He shook his head a bit again, his frown deepening.

There was a long pause of silence from the two boys after that. The only sound in the room was of Nathan being told he'd be president someday soon. Finally, Bo took a deep breath.

"And me?" he asked quietly, still staring into the depths of Jimmy's eyes.

A blush lit Jimmy's cheeks, darker than when talking about Brooke's blood, and he looked away. "I really didn't consider you until after Brooke broke up with me and we spent the day together…," he admitted and Bo frowned. So he was a fallback? "But I think…" Jimmy took a deep breath and let it out. "I think maybe you were my crush all along."

"What?" Bo asked.

Jimmy's blush darkened even more. "I told you. In Freshmen year I saw you and Brooke dating and I thought you made a great looking couple," he repeated, his voice pitched a bit higher. "Every time I saw Brooke, I also saw you…except when we were in class, but then all I really saw was the back of Brooke's head." He shook his head, getting back on subject. "And then whenever I talked to Brooke, you would show up and bully me." It was Bo's turn to frown. Jimmy gave him a small smile in return. "The wolf liked that."

Bo blinked a few times and then his own cheeks exploded with red. "Wh-what?" he gasped out.

Jimmy grinned, showing off his canines. "The hostility. The fight. The unknown. The challenge. We were both trying to be alphas." He shivered at the memory. "It was a rush." Jimmy cleared his throat, glancing away for a moment to let the air clear a bit before he said anything more. "The point is," he tried again, "that after Brooke became a Scott fangirl….I've felt more at ease and more happy than I have in the past _ever_ of my life." He looked at Bo again. "And maybe the pheromones are part of it, but I just know that whenever we're alone my heart," he made a vague motion towards his own chest, "beats a mile a minute. I keep having to stop myself from hugging you, or touching you. When I'm in class I just keep thinking about the next time I'll see you and….and…..," he struggled. His eyes ran over Bo's face again and he sighed, sounding a bit aggravated. "And can I kiss you again, please? You're driving me insane sitting so close."

"Wha-," Bo blinked. "Sure. Yea," he said distractedly, a smile growing on his face.

At all once, Jimmy's lips were on his again. Several long minutes later, Jimmy pulled back just far enough so they could breathe. "You know I hate it how Scott keeps watching you," he murmured against Bo's lips.

"Jealous?" Bo asked with a smirk.

Jimmy grinned and his eyes sparkled. "Absolutely," he said before leaning back in and sticking his tongue in Bo's mouth. Bo sounded pleased.

The T.V. and spaghetti lay forgotten for the rest of the afternoon.


	3. Chapter 3

The sunlight woke Bo the next morning. Upon opening his eyes, he was met with the sight of Jimmy's sleeping face. He looked around without moving anything but his eyes. They were lying on the living room floor with a light quilt over top of them. The spaghetti plates were gone and the T.V. was off. He focused on Jimmy again.

Jimmy's eyes were lightly shut, his lips slightly parted. His hair was tousled in an endearing way. Bo smiled serenely, remembering yesterday.

A soft thud from the kitchen snapped Bo out of his memories. Carefully removing the quilt and standing up so as not to wake Jimmy, Bo padded in his socks to the kitchen. Ellie stood on the other side of the room, wearing a nice dress suit and messing with the coffee pot.

"Morning, Ellie," Bo greeted with a yawn.

Ellie jumped, flipping around. She calmed down when she saw Bo though. "Oh, Bo. Good morning." She smiled slyly. "Sleep well?"

Bo felt his cheeks heat up. "So I'm guessing you're the one who put the blanket over us?"

"And picked up after you," she added, still grinning. Ellie shook her head, turning back to the coffee machine and pressing a button. "I never would have figured Jimmy to like boys," she admitted softly, "but I've never seen him looking so happy as when I walked in last night."

She cast Bo a suggestive look and Bo's blush deepened. "We just kissed….a lot," he added in a mumble.

Ellie laughed lightly. "Don't worry, I think I would've been able to smell if you'd done anything else," she teased.

Bo's blush vanished. "Oh." He took a step further into the kitchen. "Hey, Ellie…How are your senses since…the event?"

He knew Ellie hated talking about being a werewolf. She liked to pretend nothing strange had ever happened. Bo watched her face fall.

"I can smell things," she revealed haltingly. Ellie turned her back on him and took her coffee from the machine. "I'll probably see you when I get home from work. I'm running late, so I'll see you later, ok?" She grabbed her purse from the kitchen table and headed for the front door.

Bo watched the door open and shut silently. He'd upset her.

"Good Morning." Bo would've turned around in shock at the voice in his ear, but Jimmy's arms were already around his waist. Jimmy set his chin comfortably on Bo's shoulder and let out a content hum. "You're warm."

Bo felt a blush coloring his cheeks. "Hey, Jimbo. Sleep well?"

Jimmy shrugged and Bo felt it through his entire back. "I did," Jimmy said lightly, shutting his eyes. "Until you left." He sniffed the air, pulling away a tiny bit and glancing around the kitchen. "Coffee?"

"Uh, yea. Your sister had some," Bo explained, turning around in Jimmy's now lax hold. "She just left."

For the briefest moment, Jimmy looked pained, and then it was gone. "I hate the smell of coffee. I don't know how Ellie drinks it," he complained, wrinkling his nose.

"Maybe because it blocks out all the other smells."

Jimmy considered this for a few moments, nodded, and pulled further away. "Hungry? Cause I'm starving." His eyes seemed to sparkle and then grow dark. Jimmy cleared his throat and headed for the fridge. "What do you want for breakfast?" he asked, his typical half-nervous tone returning.

Bo blinked. "Cereal's fine," he said. "I'll get it." Bo opened a cabinet and pulled out a box of Froot Loops and a bowl and spoon before sitting down at the table.

Jimmy rummaged around in the fridge for a moment and then pulled out with the milk in one hand and a container of ham in the other. He set those down on the table and before opening the container. Bo stared at the ham and let out a laugh.

"You're gonna eat ham for breakfast?" he asked.

A piece of ham stopped about an inch from Jimmy's mouth. It only stayed there a moment before it was shoved in Jimmy's mouth. "What's wrong with that?" Jimmy asked around the meat. "I do it all the time."

Bo shrugged. "Nothing." He opened the cereal. "So….what are the plans for today?"

Jimmy swallowed and smiled. "I'm sure we'll come up with something. We always do."

...

...

Most of the morning was spent playing video games up in Jimmy's room, trying to best each other in fighting games. Bo could still proudly boast that he could beat Jimmy in a fight both in a game and in real life…now that he didn't have super wolf powers that is. After awhile, Bo got Jimmy to go for a jog with him. They ran around the complete neighborhood near Jimmy's house. By the time they got back, they were both tired, though Bo was a bit more out of breath than Jimmy.

"How on Earth are you more in shape than me?" Bo gasped out against the inside of Jimmy's front door. Jimmy just shrugged half-heartedly, taking deep breaths from his place next to Bo.

Most of the afternoon was spent testing, tempting, kissing, teasing, touching. Several times Bo pulled away because things were getting too steamy and he couldn't get Ellie's comment out of his head.

_"Don't worry, I think I would've been able to smell if you'd done anything else."_

Creepy.

Bo had to force himself to stay off Jimmy totally because every time they started up again, the thought of Ellie knowing was becoming less and less of a factor in his mind. Besides that, Jimmy was still new to this and he'd voiced his concerns about going too far. So Bo made a different suggestion.

"How about a movie tonight?"

Jimmy glanced at the clock. "When?"

Bo glanced too and shrugged. "Now? It's almost seven."

"Uh…Sure. Yea. A movie sounds great."

Bo felt really special. Jimmy actually put on one of his nicer t-shirts with the jacket that Bo liked best hanging loosely over top. He was dressed nice for Bo like this was a date. Was this a date? Was Bo under dressed? Perhaps he should've gone home and gotten nicer clothes. Was there something he wore that Jimmy liked best?

Jimmy's hand on his is all that stopped him from ripping his hair out from pure nerves. Bo's eyes snapped down to where their hands were touching, looked slowly back up to Jimmy's content and yet blushing face, and smiled. He glanced up at the sky as they walked and let out a breath.

"Wow," he said. "It's a full moon tonight. Did you know that?"

"I might have known," Jimmy answered evasively, though his grip on Bo's hand didn't change at all.

Bo was still staring at the sky. "That's awesome," he huffed before squeezing Jimmy's hand and lowering his head. "You don't like talking about the moon, do you?"

Jimmy shook his head. "No. That's not it. Not at all. You can talk about the full moon if you want to." They stopped outside the theater and only then did Jimmy squeeze Bo's hand tighter. "Bo, I forgot to tell you," he began, and then fell silent, his mouth hanging open.

"Hm?"

His mouth hung partially open uselessly for several seconds longer and it wasn't until they were next in line that he spoke up. "I have to be home by eleven," he half rushed out. "Ellie needs me to fix the…circuit breaker." Bo raised an eyebrow and Jimmy shrugged. "That's what she said. I don't know what she actually means. You know Ellie, always illiterate with technology."

Bo grinned. "Yea. I think she was fighting with the coffee maker this morning." Jimmy snickered.

...

...

The movie was an action/adventure flick, but Bo and Jimmy held hands the whole way through. At one point, Jimmy even laid his head on Bo's shoulder for a few minutes. It was really romantic, if Bo did say so himself.

Jimmy bolted to the bathroom as soon as they were out of the theater and Bo chuckled after him. He leaned against the wall next to a movie poster for some chick flick and stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets. Today was a good day. He could only imagine life getting better from here on out.

"Evening, Robert."

Bo jumped away from the wall, turning to his right. "Scott!" he gasped. "What are you doing here?"

Scott's crystal blue eyes shimmered seductively. "Looking for you, obviously." He stepped closer, getting up in Bo's personal space. "We never get any time to ourselves, you and I, and I just wanted to….talk." The last word was said in a deeper voice.

Bo felt his mind growing hazy, like in the hallway yesterday. "Talk?" he asked airily, only half in the conversation any more. "About…about what?"

A low hum escaped from Scott's throat. "Let's go somewhere more private, shall we? How about outside? There's a lovely full moon out tonight. Very…romantic."

He began walking toward the exit and Bo felt his feet move, following. He tried to say something like "Not very romantic when you think about all the werewolf attacks," but nothing came out of his mouth. Actually, Bo wasn't even aware he was moving until Scott stopped and turned to face him again and Bo stopped with him. They were in an alley somewhere, but Bo couldn't remember the walk over here so he had no idea where he was. How far were they from the theater? Jimmy could smell better than most people, but how far away would be too far for Jimmy to find him if he was lost?

Bo felt his mind coming back to him and shook his head. Scott frowned and backed Bo up into the wall of the alley, standing not a breath's distance away. "Robert," he murmured silkily. Bo's mind was leaving again. "You're resistance and resentment toward me are quite fascinating. Usually I'm so….," he breathed a line of not-quite-hot air down Bo's neck to the point where his neck and shoulder met, "irresistible," he whispered against Bo's skin. Bo shivered but found he couldn't move at all. "I don't know why you're different, but it's made the chase all that much more exciting. I bet you're delicious."

Bo felt Scott's lips against his neck and then his teeth. His very pointed teeth. Bo's mind went into shock. A _vampire?_ But this was L.A.! How was Scott alive in _sunny_ L.A.? The teeth pressed down, creating dips in Bo's skin and his breath caught. Was he going to die here? He'd faced down a werewolf and lived, and now he was going to die by vampire?

Jimmy!

A low growl, like a great large dog, echoed through the alley and Scott shot back from Bo's neck in shock. "What?" He turned his head and saw Jimmy standing at the entrance to the alley to Bo's left. Scott instantly calmed again.

"Back off," Jimmy said darkly.

"Oh. You." Scott smirked seductively. "Jealous? Don't worry. I'll get to you soon."

Jimmy's lips pulled back in a snarl and Scott took a half-step toward Bo's right. "Back off!" he shouted. A cat jumped from a trash can down the alley and ran out of sight. Bo felt sensation returning to his limbs and began to shiver, the fear finally hitting him at being anywhere near Scott. Jimmy glanced skyward. "You're moving in on the wrong territory, rat."

Scott laughed derisively. "Territory?" he asked incredulously. "What are you, a we-" He cut off abruptly when Jimmy lowered his head and both Bo and Scott saw his glowing golden eyes.

Jimmy growled, ripping off his jacket and dropping onto all fours for a brief moment before lunging at Scott standing fifteen feet away. In midair, Bo saw his skin ripple and shred, revealing shaggy dark brown fur that covered Jimmy's whole body. His face morphed into something more wolf-like. Scott darted away from Bo and Jimmy's clawed paw missed Scott's face by a hair. Scott vanished and appeared four feet down the alley against the far wall.

"Oh my god!" he half-shouted, sounding terrified but trying to put up a brave front. "I didn't know you were a mut! I thought you were just too shy to admit you liked me like all the others at school. And _you,"_ his eyes shot to Bo and Jimmy growled deep in his throat. Scott saw Bo's widened eyes and his comment died in his throat. Scott's crystal blue eyes landed warily on Jimmy again, crouched down two feet to Bo's right. "I _knew_ L.A. was the city of the night and that all the _freaks_ lived here," he spat. Both Bo and Jimmy glared at that comment. "Guess I should've figured a werewolf would've taken up residence."

Jimmy snarled and rushed forward. His claws met the stone of the building across from Bo, creating a moderately large hole in the wall where Scott used to be. Scott stood at the end of the alley now. His eyes shivered where his body did not as he watched Jimmy rip his hand from the wall. There was a cut on his cheek.

"Forget you, human. You're not worth it. No one's worth _this,"_ Scott hissed out, talking to Bo but watching Jimmy unerringly.

Jimmy sent him a golden glare and Scott vanished from the alley. For several long moments, both Bo and Jimmy just stood there, then Jimmy let out a miserable little whine and Bo watched in mute fascination as he began to slowly shift back into the Jimmy Bo was used to seeing. The younger boy leaned against the wall with his eyes shut tight and Bo searched the alley for any sight of Scott.

With the vampire and all the danger gone, it seemed like all the adrenaline that should have been coursing through Bo before shot through him all at once. He clutched the wall behind him, his breath becoming nothing short of uneven pants of fear that he no longer felt. His eyes darted back and forth, along the rooftops, like he was just waiting for Scott to show up again and kill them both without a second thought.

He couldn't believe how close he'd come to dying just now; how close he'd come to losing everything. Why had he followed Scott out here? Did Scott hypnotize him? He'd nearly drank Bo's blood! Bo could've died and no one would've been any the wiser.

And then there was Jimmy….

His eyes snapped from the empty end of the alleyway to the wall across from him. Jimmy had crouched down near the ground now, holding his head and making pitiful moaning noises of pain, in nothing but rags. His jacket from earlier was lying near the mouth of the alley and the shredded remains of his jeans were barely clinging to his hips. Jimmy seemed to be in pain. Bo wanted to help him, but he couldn't move…

The sound of the city finally came back to him and Bo gasped in relief, taking the few steps between him and Jimmy and kneeling down next to him. "Jimmy?" he asked worriedly. "Jimmy, are you alright?" He placed a hand on Jimmy's shoulder and Jimmy let out a whimper. Suddenly, Bo was staring at blank wall. He heard a step to his right and turned. Jimmy was six feet away and facing away from him, still crouching down and holding his head. "Jimmy?"

"I'm sorry," Jimmy breathed out just loud enough for Bo to hear. Then he ran off, his skin darkening and hair overtaking his body, his face and body shifting into something more canine a moment before he vanished into the night.

Standing alone in the alley, everything suddenly made sense. Everything was starkly clear and Bo understood. Jimmy was fast and had super senses and could sneak up on people because he was still a werewolf. He didn't fight or join the wrestling team because he was hiding the awesome strength he had because he was still a werewolf. Jimmy was still a werewolf.

He was a werewolf.

"Holy shit."


	4. Chapter 4

Bo ran to Jimmy's house that night, as soon as he had gathered himself. He didn't bother knocking. He banged on the door. After about six seconds and over a dozen heavy landings of his fist later, Ellie ripped the door open.

Her eyes widened a bit. "Bo? Why are you banging?" she asked.

Bo took in a gulp of air, still out of breath from the jog over here. "Where's Jimmy? I need to talk to him."

"Jimmy?" she repeated in confusion. "He….He was out with you, I thought."

Nodding, Bo took a step back. "Yea. Yea he was. We split up. You sure he's not here?" he asked.

Ellie nodded, now looking concerned. "Bo, what's wrong?" she asked worriedly. Had something happened?

For a moment, Bo considered telling Ellie about Scott and Jimmy and the alley and the whole werewolf vs vampire deal, but then he remembered how Ellie reacted to the supernatural. And something told Bo that Ellie didn't know about Jimmy. He shook his head. "We uh….We had a fight."

"So soon in the relationship? You may not last very long," she teased him, seeming at ease with the explanation.

Bo nodded jerkily, taking a step back. "Maybe not," he agreed quietly. "Look. I'm gonna go….I'll just come back tomorrow and see if he's-" He jerked his arm back, pointing away towards his car parked on the side of the road. "Bye."

With that, Bo left the house. Ellie shut the door. Just before getting in his car, Bo glanced for a long moment at Jimmy's dark bedroom window. Where'd he go? When would he be back? What did this mean for them?

...

...

It took ages to fall asleep that night. Every bark of a neighbor's dog had him running to the window. The sound of the wind in the trees made him jump. His mind couldn't shut off and kept racing in circles with no end. It wasn't until early morning that he finally drifted to sleep.

The next morning, Bo felt overly lethargic. He made it downstairs for breakfast at about eleven in the morning and had just finished making himself some scrambled eggs when the doorbell rang. Turning off the stove, Bo padded to the front door. His house was larger than Jimmy's, his family had more money than most in the area. Bo glanced through the peep hole and gasped, ripping the door open.

"Jimmy!" he gasp-shouted.

Jimmy stood on his front porch wearing the jacket from last night, an old pair of jeans, and a wolfman t-shirt. He himself looked a bit worse for wear, though Bo couldn't put his finger exactly on why. His hair was ruffled and there were slight bags under his eyes, but that wasn't quite it. He pulled his right hand from his jacket pocket and gave a nervous little wave.

"Hey….Bo," he greeted quietly, his gaze not meeting Bo's. "Can….can I come in?"

His eyes darted beyond Bo, into the house. Bo stepped aside. "Sure. Of course." Jimmy passed him, making sure not to let any part of himself touch Bo, and Bo noticed how he sniffed the air inconspicuously. "There's no one else here," he said. "My dad had a business trip and took my mom with him."

"Oh," Jimmy flicked his eyes around the entrance room and back to Bo. In all their time as friends, Jimmy had never been to Bo's house. "Good…." He dropped his eyes to the rug in the entry way and scuffed his shoe absently.

_Awkward._

Bo cleared his throat and Jimmy looked up at him. "Look, uh, I just made some eggs…if you want any," he offered with a vague shrug of his shoulders and a motion toward the kitchen. Jimmy nodded silently and Bo began leading the way into the kitchen.

He picked the pan up by the handle and deposited the eggs he'd meant for only him onto two plates. Bo had barely set the pan in the sink when Jimmy spoke up.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you." Bo turned around to face Jimmy, who shifted from foot to foot uneasily. He wasn't looking at Bo. "It's…It's been a year since the attack and I've gotten pretty good at hiding it, so I thought maybe I wouldn't have to tell you…because I wanted us to work and I was afraid if you knew then you wouldn't want to be around me," he rushed out. "Ellie doesn't want to acknowledge the attack ever happened, so I couldn't even tell _her_ about the changes. She's….She's normal. She's human like you."

His eyes finally met Bo's and caught there. Bo held his gaze for a long while before sighing, his shoulders drooping. "What makes you think I wouldn't want to be around you, Jimbo?"

The nickname seemed to make Jimmy relax a bit. He took a deep breath, held it for four seconds, and let it out again. "I'm a monster, Bo. I'm cursed." He looked pained. "Last time you met a werewolf…you nearly died. Ellie nearly died. _I_ nearly died. A lot of people got hurt and a lot more ended up dead. Werewolves are bad news."

"And vampires are better," Bo said with barely concealed sarcasm and a shrug.

Jimmy frowned. He held Bo's gaze for what felt like forever but was only about ten seconds. "I didn't know," he said like an apology, catching Bo off guard. "With everything I've learned about this curse over the past year, with all I can do…I mean, I knew he smelled off and there was just something about him, but I couldn't tell he wasn't human and it nearly got you killed!"

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Bo practically shouted, cutting Jimmy off. "What are you talking about? A vampire's a vampire, Jim. There's nothing you could've done." Jimmy opened his mouth to protest and Bo sent him a glare, stopping him. "You saved me from him, Jimmy. He nearly drank me dry, but you stopped him. Isn't that good enough?"

"No one," Jimmy began sorrowfully, "should have to know what exists in the dark. People shouldn't be afraid to go for a walk or see a movie at night because of the monsters that live in it."

"I'm not," Bo stated plainly. He took a step closer to Jimmy. "I can handle myself in most situations, and when I can't…" He shrugged with a smile, stepping again closer to Jimmy, now only two feet away from him. "I've got you, Jimbo."

Jimmy regarded him curiously. "Y-You're not…afraid of me?"

Bo snorted. "You haven't eaten me yet, Jimmy."

The relief that spread across Jimmy's face was indescribable. A smile grew and overtook his entire expression. It faded into a cute frown a moment later. "Oh, and just so you know…I don't kill people. I never have and I never will….I typically run around the woods eating wild animals during the full moon. Though one time I did eat our neighbor's house cat," he admitted with an embarrassed flush. "If I eat a lot of red meat, the bloodlust is easier to control," he explained. "So I don't randomly attack people at school around the ful-"

Bo cut off Jimmy's rant with a firm kiss. Jimmy's arms snapped up around his neck and Bo smirked into the kiss, wrapping his arms around Jimmy's waist. Bo pulled back just far enough to lay his forehead against Jimmy's and smiled. "I was worried you wouldn't talk to me anymore," he admitted quietly.

For a moment, Jimmy looked confused, and then understanding crossed through his eyes. He leaned forward, capturing Bo's lips this time. They kissed three or four times in instant succession, though who was keeping track? Jimmy pulled away a bit to stop it. "I'll be here as long as you want me, Bo. I promise," he breathed out into the space between their lips. In Jimmy's eyes, Bo saw he was telling the complete and utter truth.

He smiled. "Then you'll be here for a long time. I've finally caught you. I'm not letting you go any time soon."

...

...

The next day at school was perhaps the funniest day of Bo's life. Scott avoided Bo and Jimmy like the plague. If they were walking down the same hallway, he pressed himself into the lockers to get as far away from them as possible. Of course his little hypnotized worshipers barely noticed a thing, but Bo understood how not-working their minds were.

Scott glared at them as they walked by in the cafeteria and Bo sent him an amiable smile, patronizing him. He plopped down at the usual table with Jimmy across from him, as usual, and sighed in content. "Ah. The sweet smell of victory."

Jimmy raised an eyebrow. "You smell victory?" he asked incredulously.

"What do you smell?" Bo asked rhetorically.

He got an answer though. "Week old gym socks and barbecue sauce," Jimmy answered honestly with a grin. Bo grimaced. "Yea. Great combination, isn't it?" he joked.

Bo shook his head, shivering. "Hey," he said suddenly, an idea popping in his head. "Jimbo." Jimmy didn't look up from his fake school barbecue 'ribs'. "Why am _I_ not a werewolf?"

That got Jimmy to look up. "We ended the line, Bo. The werewolf that started the line that infected you was killed off," he explained like it was simple and obvious. "With Jake gone, the curse ended."

"Yea, but," Bo rubbed his hands together, his elbows propped on the table top. " _You're_ still a werewolf, and you were infected by the same line as me, right?" Jimmy nodded. "So why you and not Ellie or me?"

Jimmy looked down at his food for a long time, suddenly not hungry. After a long while, he glanced up at Bo through his bangs. "During the battle at the house….I sort of drank Jake's blood."

"You what?"

Jimmy's cheeks tinted. "He was attacking Ellie and I didn't know what else to do, so I jumped on his back and bit him as hard as I could." He shrugged minutely, lowering his eyes to his tray again. "I think I mixed blood with him….starting my own line." Jimmy shook his head, leaning away from his food and locking eyes with Bo. "I'm not continuing it, though. I won't force someone else to deal with this," he said seriously.

Bo smiled. "You're amazing, did you know that?"

Jimmy gave a humble smile, lifting his shoulders a bit. Bo caught Scott glaring over at them from across the room and stuck out his tongue. Jimmy laughed under his breath and Bo grinned in triumph.

...

...

Scott Edwards transferred to a different school by the end of the month. Brooke tried to get back with Jimmy once he was gone, but Jimmy kissed Bo in greeting before she could fully ask and she ran away in shock and shame. She started dating the vice captain of the wrestling team, Harley Walker. Bo got weekly comments from girls all across school about how hot him and Jimmy were together. Jimmy just smiled secretively when Bo told him about it. All in all, things went back to normal after Scott left.

There was still one question Bo needed answered though.

"How come he could walk around in the sun?"

"Hm?" Jimmy looked up from where he was leaning on the side of his bed reading a comic book, to Bo spread out on the bed above him. "I don't know," he answered mildly with a shrug.

Bo groaned. "That is so unhelpful," he complained, pushing himself up into a sitting position.

Jimmy stood, sliding himself onto the bed with grace he had never possessed before being a werewolf. "The experts on werewolves don't have all the answers. No one really knows all there is to know about werewolves…except werewolves." He shrugged noncommittally again. "Vampires are probably the same way. Maybe they've adapted over the centuries to be able to walk in the sunlight. Maybe they never burned in the first place. There's…really no way of knowing."

Bo grinned with a breath of a laugh. "And I doubt we could ask Scott even if he was still here. He'd probably piss his pants at the sight of you," he chuckled. Jimmy was grinning too.

"He just might." His expression turned contemplative. "I should do some research on vampires versus werewolves. If there's like, some sort of war or feud between us, I should probably know about it."

Bo shook his head before leaning into Jimmy's personal space. "You are _such_ a dork, you know that?" he asked with a toothy grin. Jimmy blinked at him silently with large, open eyes. Bo's grin turned devious. "I like that," he said like it was a dare.

Jimmy smirked and practically crushed their lips together. Challenge accepted.


End file.
